Godspeed Kochi finished second in both races while Chennai Turbo Riders finished third in sprint and Goa Aces in the feature race.
(from left to right) - Godspeed Kochi, Hyderabad Blackbirds and Chennai Turbo Riders at the podium after the sprint race on 27 November at the MIC. (Supplied)
The Hyderabad Blackbirds won both races during the second leg of the Indian Racing League (IRL) on Sunday, 27 November at the 32-year-old Madras International Circuit (MIC) in Chennai.
The qualifying rounds took place a day earlier, where two teams of Hyderabad got the ninth and 10th starting positions, respectively in the sprint as well as feature race.
The Hyderabad Blackbirds were represented by Swiss Neel Jani, French Lola Lovinfosse, Nengaluru’s Akhil Rabindra, and Hyderabad’s Anindith Reddy.
The race came a week after the inaugural round was organized in Hyderabad, India’s first street race circuit.
However, the main event was called off after three cars collided on the second day of the event. It also left drivers sceptical about the track.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad is scheduled to host the first Formula E event in India on 11 February, 2023.
Fast cars and happy faces 🏁😁 The MIC witnessed some high octane action this race weekend as the drivers gave it their all to win , and had a great time doing so 🙌🏽 #GearUpIndia #indianracingleague @exxonmobil_ind pic.twitter.com/9USTVikWDF
— Indian Racing League Official (@Irlofficial1) November 28, 2022
Six city-based teams have been featured in the IRL with a total of 24 drivers: four each for a team.
Cars in action during the race.(Supplied)
Along with the Blackbirds, the others are Godspeed Kochi, Chennai Turbo Riders, Bangalore Speedsters, Goa Aces, and Speed Demons Delhi.
The teams have been lining up one international, one female international driver and two Indian drivers.
The races are usually a three-day affair, from Friday to Sunday.
As per the rules of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), a sprint race is a shorter version while drivers cover more distance in a feature race.
At the MIC, a sprint race was scheduled for 20 minutes while the feature race was for 35 mins.
The race at the Madras International Circuit. (Supplied)
For team Hyderabad, Rabindra and Jani, who started at the ninth position were paired as one team in the sprint race while Lovinfosse and Reddy as the other.
Rabindra and Jani finished at the podium clocking 46 mins and 48 seconds.
Godspeed Kochi and Chennai Turbo Riders secured the second and third places, respectively.
Meanwhile, Reddy and Lovinfosse missed out on the podium place and finished fourth.
(from left to right) – Godspeed Kochi, Hyderabad Blackbirds and Goa Aces players at the podium after the feature race on 27 November at the MIC. (Supplied)
In the feature race, again the duo of Jani and Rabindra dominated finishing it with a time of 36 minutes and 55 seconds.
Godspeed Kochi again finished second whereas Goa Aces came third.
The pair of Reddy and Lovinfosse descended to seventh position this time.
What was striking was the second-best pair on the day of Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva and Liechtenstein’s Fabienne Wohlwend securing a double podium finish even after setting no time in qualifying.
The third round of the IRL will take place on 3 and 4 December at the MIC.
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